1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for aligning a plurality of columns of pieces of food dough that are conveyed downstream by a conveyor so that the leading edges of the pieces are aligned perpendicularly to the direction that the pieces of food dough are conveyed. Particularly, it relates to a method and an apparatus for aligning a plurality of columns of pieces of food dough, which method and apparatus use an aligning member to align the leading edges of the pieces of the food dough by causing the leading edges to contact the aligning member, wherein the leading edges can be prevented from adhering to the aligning member so that when the leading edges are separated from the aligning member, the positions of the pieces of food dough are not disarranged, because the leading edges adhere the aligning member, and wherein the pieces of food dough can be prevented from being deformed when the leading edges of the pieces of the food dough contact the aligning member.
2. Background of the Invention
Pieces of food dough for croissants, for example, are made by cutting a large sheet of food dough into a plurality of pieces having triangular-like shapes and separating them, which sheet is conveyed downstream by a first conveyor. The plurality of pieces having triangular-like shapes are cut and separated from the sheet of the food dough, so that the plurality of pieces of the food dough is arranged along the direction perpendicular to the direction for conveying the sheet of the food dough, and so that the direction connecting the leading edges and the bases of the pieces corresponds to the direction perpendicular to the direction for conveying the sheet.
When a column of pieces having triangular-like shapes are conveyed from the first conveyor to a second conveyor, the pieces are separated from the side of the sheet of the food dough by an apparatus for separating the pieces, and then are rearranged in a staggered pattern.
When the pieces of the food dough are conveyed by the second conveyor, the pieces are rotated so that the bases of the pieces of the food dough having triangular-like shapes turn toward the front, namely, the bases become leading edges. Then the pieces of the food dough are sequentially wound from the bases to the top of the pieces having triangular-like shapes by a winding apparatus disposed at the downstream side of the second conveyor so that the pieces of the food dough for the croissants are formed. (See Patent Document 1, for example.)
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2567296